Material Is Your Business

Christina Dean (bio), CEO of Redress, joins Marc Raco (host of Fashion Is Your Business podcast) for a Special Report on news that The EcoChic Design Award 2017 has become available in the United States for the first time in its seven year history. The EcoChic Design Award 2017, developed and is organized by Redress, is open to emerging designers and students with less than 3 years’ experience who currently live in Asia, Europe or the USA.

According to its website, Redress is an NGO established in Hong Kong in 2007 , “with a mission to promote environmental sustainability in the fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, water and energy consumption. They achieve this by educational sustainable fashion shows, exhibitions, competitions, seminars, research and via their recycled clothing standard. Their profile allows them to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including fashion designers, textile and garment manufacturers, brands and retailers, schools and universities, multilateral organizations, governments, NGOs, financial institutions and media organizations. Working with their partners, Redress aims to enhance, educate and enable the adoption of a more sustainable fashion industry that will help to minimize the negative impact and maximize the positive impact of the fashion industry on society and the environment.”

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Color-matching and dyes…

Chris Hipps (bio), Global Director of Archroma Color Management, joins hosts Rob Sanchez, Samanta Cortes and Stephanie Benedetto on location at Premiere Vision 2016 in New York.

Supply chains, lighting, and information meets color

Hipps discusses the work that Archroma does in custom color dying and custom matching, making sure colors can be made in the supply chain, and producing products that designers use to create pallets and matching colors. How color is one of the first things customers see, how Archroma works with pretty much everyone in mass, including specialty, outdoor, swimwear, and touches every product category. Larger companies are more developed with processes. Hipps loves educating and helping to streamline processes. Importance considerations of lighting, how inspiration comes at a high level and then executed on many different materials, different dyes used for different materials. Finding a target color achievable on multiple substrates. And the way Archoma is as much in the information business as in the color business, connecting the physical swatch to web for additional information, making information mobile-accessible, and the technology of color.

Color Atlas, responding quickly to supply chains, and RSLs

Color Atlas connects the digital with physical and works as a companion with a physical color book. Trend forecasting, how trend is where color can originate, converting trend company colors into things that can be produced, being on the cutting edge of technology and working on matching, being able to rapidly respond to supply chains as a driving force behind Color Atlas, the way companies can’t wait as long to know what will produce, and the ability to select color and have it available to supply chain within 24 hours. Color standards, dyes and chemicals to execute that dying, working with Restricted Substances Lists, how Hipps developed a passion, and the science of color. The importance of a light box with standardized lighting and a spectrometer.

Favorite colors, drumming and flying, and crayons

In a round of “Remnants”, personal questions reveals a favorite color, drumming and aviation, and the earliest memory of color consciousness, and the 64 pack of Crayola Crayons.

References:

• Jessica Colaluca, Design Seeds
• Color Association of America

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fabric stores with Mood Fabrics…

Eric Sauma (bio), co-owner of Mood Fabrics (a family business fabric store with classes which is the number-one shopping destination for fashion fabric in the world with more than 1,200 customers daily) joins hosts Rob Sanchez, Samanta Cortes and Stephanie Benedetto for the first episode of a podcast about materials sciences and processes.

A family business, trends, and the genesis of Mood Fabrics

Sauma discusses the nature of this family business, evolving from wholesale to retail, how the business is all he knows, touching new fabrics from all over the world, and how the business inspires the entire family. At core of business are smaller designers who can’t get materials directly from manufacturers at low quantity, how content and materials are curated, touching and feeling every piece of fabric that comes into the store to marinating quality, buying power allows them to buy variety in smaller increments, working from decades-long relationships with suppliers, a shift/change to the willingness to accept lower minimums, how digital printing allows printing on smaller increments, implementing an ERP system allowed find out patterns of what fabrics are trending, and the ability to anticipate having inventory. What’s trending now, and how technical fabrics are booming. The story of Mood Fabrics with a genesis in giving up in one business creating another, and how it became a family business.

Sewing classes, a generational shift, and Project Runway

Launching a wide range of largely free sewing classes in a variety of cities, the resurgence of a disappearing art of sewing, the new generation’s need for independence and discovering identity, knowledge shift through generations, focus on sustainability and local manufacturing, big ideas coming to row business and get product to more people because of how few fabrics stores there are, and getting fabric into people’s hands because it is a tactile, tangible business. How the Project Runway’s involvement changed the business and came about, the celebrity of the dog “Swatch”, and becoming a tourist destination. The show’s first Snack Time offers up cupcakes and gluten free cookies.

Understanding fabric, wanting a bigger voice, and paying your dues

A new offering, “Fabric A to Z”, the need to understand fabric, the importance of bringing attention to the Garment Center and having a presence on the street and bigger voice of the industry. And personal questions in the segment “Remnants” covers a new baby, a temporary job becoming a career, and playing around fabric as a child.   Plus, growing the business and pushing fabric online, and paying one’s dues for the long run.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello world! Welcome to a brand new podcast, produced by the same team and in the same style as the popular “Fashion Is Your Business.”

Take a deep dive into material science with strategist Rob Sanchez (Open Source Business); materials expert Stephanie Benedetto (Queen of Raw); manufacturing expert and founder of Save the Garment Center, Samanta Cortes (Samanta’s Platform); and image consultant and tailor Mack Mozé (Mozé-Rogue Tailor), along with revolving guest hosts. Produced by MouthMedia™ Network, the show focuses on useful, in-depth interviews with industry notables, serves as a platform for business leaders, and provides commentary about virtually anything in between, making insights into business and technology within the material sciences industry entertaining, meaningful and accessible.

In this introduction to the show, Stephanie and Samanta cover the show’s intent and why it is so important today. Please subscribe on iTunes or Google Play, and join us each week as we cover the vast world of materials!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.